54-755: The Central Government Complex has been the headquarters of the Government of Hong Kong since 2011. Located at the Tamar site , the complex comprises the Central Government Offices, the Legislative Council Complex and the Office of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. The complex has taken over the roles of several buildings, including the former Central Government Offices (CGO), Murray Building and
108-624: A design-build contract won by the Gammon - Hip Hing joint venture. Construction was due to begin in mid-February 2008, for completion in 2011. It engaged more than 3,000 workers. The architect was Rocco Yim , who premised the massing on the concept of "door always open". The new government building uses neither Chinese nor European government building designs, but instead it is a mix of postmodern architecture and low-frills international design. The building initially had an open design, but has been heavily fortified after various protests. The complex
162-528: A key role in ensuring harmony in policy formulation and implementation. The current Secretary is Chan Kwok-ki . The Financial Secretary is responsible for preparing the Government Budget in accordance with the Chief Executive's agenda in the policy address, ensuring fiscal policies are in accordance to the Public Finance Ordinance. The secretary has to estimate of revenue and expenditure before
216-405: A pay freeze imposed in 2012, resulting in its increase to HK$ 4.61 million ($ 591,000). In July 2017, directors of bureaux (DoBs) were approved to have a 12.4% pay rise and the 3.5% pay differential between secretaries of departments (SoDs) and DoBs remained, indicating a new annual pay of approximately HK$ 5 million for the city's leading role because the Chief Executive received a salary of 112% of
270-400: A pay freeze imposed on the chief executive and senior civil servants in 2012, he was accused of granting himself a pay rise by stealth and going against the trend of top politicians taking pay cuts instead of pay increases. In July 2021, Carrie Lam refused to remove the legal immunity of the chief executive in anti-bribery legislation, stating that the officeholder has to be accountable to
324-515: Is John Lee selected as chief executive in the 2022 election , appointed by the Chinese State Council with the designation decree signed by Premier Li Keqiang on 30 May 2022 and took office on 1 July 2022. Lee is the fifth Chief Executive; each of his four predecessors are still living. According to article 44 of the Basic Law, the chief executive must be a Chinese citizen as defined by
378-725: Is elected by an Election Committee , a 1500-member electoral college consisting of individuals and bodies (i.e. special interest groups) elected within 40 functional constituencies defined in the Basic Law. The winner is then appointed to the position by the Premier of the People's Republic of China . The Chief Executive is responsible for implementing the Basic Law, signing bills and budgets, promulgating laws, making decisions on government policies, and issuing Executive Orders. Then Chief Executive, Carrie Lam , began exercise of her unfettered residual powers of law-making by decree on 4 October 2019, under
432-687: Is headed by the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong , who is the most senior principal official of the Government. The Chief Secretary and the other secretaries jointly oversee the administration of Hong Kong, give advice to the Chief Executive as members of the Executive Council , and are accountable for their actions and policies to the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council . Under the " one country, two systems " constitutional principle,
486-571: Is led by the Secretary for Justice (Hong Kong) ( Legal Department and Attorney General before the transfer of sovereignty). The Secretary for Justice (SJ) is responsible for all prosecutions in Hong Kong, drafting all government legislation, and advising other policy bureaux and departments of the government on a vast array of legal issues. The department consists of the Prosecutions Division,
540-453: Is provided to discharge promotional and protocol-related functions. Depending on police risk assessment, personal security protection is provided. Former Chief Executives also enjoy medical and dental care. Former Chief Executives hold the title "The Honourable", and ranks third in the Hong Kong order of precedence . Remuneration for the chief executive of Hong Kong is among the highest in
594-467: Is set to rise by 6.7 percent to HK$ 776.9 billion (US$ 99.23 billion). The Chief Executive is the head of the Region and head of government of Hong Kong. The Basic Law designates a system of governance led by a Chief Executive and an Executive Council , under the principles of separation of powers , with a two-tiered system of semi-representative government and an independent judiciary. The Chief Executive
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#1732841116005648-589: The Basic Law . The Election Committee is responsible for the nomination of chief executive candidates and election of the chief executive-elect. Under the 2021 Hong Kong electoral changes initiated by the National People's Congress , each candidate running for chief executive elections is to be nominated by at least 188 members of the Election Committee , before their eligibility is reviewed and confirmed by
702-550: The Chief Secretary . The new salary of Chief Executive of Hong Kong is about thirty-nine times more than the annual salary of President of China . Since the chief executive is directly appointed by the Central People's Government of China after an election by a committee of 1,500 people selected by the Chinese Government, rather than the general population, many people, in particular the pro-democrats , have criticised
756-530: The Chief Secretary for Administration , the most senior official and head of the Government Secretariat , in charge of overseeing the administration of the Government. The Chief Executive holds the title " The Honourable ", and ranks first in the Hong Kong order of precedence . The official residence of the chief executive is Government House in Central , Hong Kong Island . The current chief executive
810-684: The Election Committee without first obtaining nominations from one eighth of its total members. The specific method for selecting the chief executive is prescribed in Annex I of the Basic Law. The Election Committee shall be composed of 1500 members from the following sectors pursuant to the amended Annex I under the 2021 Hong Kong electoral changes initiated by the National People's Congress . The Election Committee consists of individuals (i.e. private citizens) and representatives of bodies (i.e. special interest groups or corporate bodies) selected or elected by 40 prescribed sub-sectors as stipulated in Annex I to
864-764: The Election Committee , with nomination by at least 15 members of each sector of the Election Committee. Candidacy is confirmed upon review and confirmation of eligibility by the Candidate Qualification Review Committee, according to opinions issued by the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the basis of a review by the National Security Department of
918-784: The Emergency Regulations Ordinance , Chapter 241 of the Laws of Hong Kong, bypassing the legislature. As of 1 July 1997, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong officially replaced the Governor of Hong Kong as the head of the government for Hong Kong following the handover . The Chief Executive is assisted by the Chief Secretary for Administration and the Financial Secretary , and other secretaries who heads policy bureaus. The secretaries for each government affairs are appointed by
972-530: The Financial Secretary . The Chief Secretary for Administration is customarily considered to be the leader of the bureaux. Chief Executive of Hong Kong High Court District Court Magistrates' Court Special courts and tribunals: Chief Executive Elections Legislative elections District council elections Consular missions in Hong Kong Hong Kong–China relations Hong Kong–Taiwan relations The chief executive of
1026-568: The Hong Kong Police Force on whether a candidate meets the legal requirements and conditions of upholding the Basic Law and swearing allegiance to the HKSAR of the People's Republic of China . The Chief Executive-designate is then returned by the Election Committee with an absolute majority in a two-round system: the chief executive-designate is to be returned with an absolutely majority (>750 valid votes) 1. more than 2 candidates obtain
1080-528: The Legislative Council each year, and to deliver an annual budget to the Legislative Council, outlining the government's budgetary proposals and moving the appropriation bills. The current FS is Paul Chan Mo-po . The Secretary for Justice is responsible for prosecutions and legal matters and heads the Department of Justice . The current Secretary for Justice is Paul Lam . The hierarchical structure of
1134-536: The Legislative Council , and bestowing honours . The Basic Law grants the chief executive a wide range of powers, but obliges him or her, before making important policy decisions, introducing bills to the Legislative Council, making subsidiary legislation, and dissolving the Legislative Council, to act only after consultation with the Executive Council (all of whose members are the CE's own appointees). The executive council consists of official and non-official members, including
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#17328411160051188-447: The Legislative Council , deciding on government policies, advising appointment and dismissal of principal officials of the Government of Hong Kong to the Central People's Government of China , appointing judges and holders of certain public offices and to pardon or commute sentences. The position is also responsible for the policy address made to the public. The chief executive's powers and functions are established by article 48 of
1242-472: The State Council of China on the nomination of the Chief Executive. The Secretary for Justice (SJ) is responsible for legal matters of the government and prosecution for criminal cases in the territory. The Independent Commission Against Corruption and Audit Commission report directly to the Chief Executive. The current Chief Executive is John Lee . The Executive Council decides on matters of policy,
1296-501: The chief secretary for administration , the financial secretary or the secretary for justice , by rotation, in that order, as acting chief executive. In case the position becomes vacant, a new chief executive would have to be selected. Prior to the handover in 1997 , the office of the chief executive-designate was at the seventh floor of the Asia Pacific Finance Tower. When Tung Chee-hwa assumed duty on 1 July 1997,
1350-463: The first selection of the chief executive, the committee consisted of only 400 members. It was expanded to 800 for the second term . As a result of enabling legislation stemming from a public consultation in 2010 , and its approval by the National People's Congress Standing Committee in Beijing, the number of representatives was increased from 800 to 1200. Following the electoral reform initiated by
1404-468: The former Legislative Council Building . By 2001, existing government offices at Murray Building and the former Central Government Offices were considered to be too small. Maintenance of the buildings was also increasingly costly, and the age of the buildings limited the technology used in them. The Legislative Council Building on Jackson Road was also too small to house the entire LegCo Secretariat and all members' offices. A new government complex at Tamar
1458-561: The handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China . The chief executive is head of the executive branch of the Hong Kong government. The functions of the chief executive include nominating principal officials for appointment by the State Council of China , which is headed by the premier , conducting foreign relations , appointing judges and other public officers, giving consent to legislation passed by
1512-419: The Basic Law. The Executive Council of Hong Kong is an organ for assisting the chief executive in policy-making. The council is consulted before making important policy decisions, introducing bills to the Legislative Council, making subordinate legislation or dissolving the Legislative Council. Article 52 of the Basic Law stipulates that the Chief Executive must resign when: The Legislative Council has
1566-525: The Candidate Eligibility Review Committee of the HKSAR. The chief executive-designate is then returned by the Election Committee with an absolute majority. The Election Committee is now principally elected by body voters. The number of subsectors with individual votes were significantly reduced, together with elimination of mixed individual and body voting: Chief Executive candidates must receive nominations by at least 188 members of
1620-541: The Chief Executive from within or outside the civil service . The system was portrayed as the key to solve previous administrative problems, notably the co-operation of high-ranking civil servants with the Chief Executive. Under the new system, there are 3 Secretaries of department and 13 Directors of Bureaux. The system is aimed at raising the accountability of the civil service, so the political appointees are responsible for all their job aspects and will step down if they make any failure. All heads of bureaux became members of
1674-513: The Chinese government in 2021 to increase mainland-Chinese controls on Hong Kong, the number of representatives was increased to 1500 but most are appointed or ex-officio seats. According to article 46 the term of office of the chief executive is five years with a maximum of two consecutive terms. If a vacancy occurs mid-term, the new Chief Executive's first term is for the remainder of the previous Chief Executive's term only. The method of selecting
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1728-714: The Civil Division, the Legal Policy Division, the Law Drafting Division, the International Law Division and the Administration and Development Division. The current fifteen policy bureaux is a result of the 2022 government reorganisation , which added, expanded, and re-titled several bureaux. Currently, nine bureaux reports to the Chief Secretary for Administration , and the other six reports to
1782-725: The Executive Council, and came directly under the Chief Executive instead of the Chief Secretary or the Financial Secretary. The government released a report on the Further Development of the Political Appointment System on 17 October 2007. Two new layers, deputy directors of Bureaux and Assistants to Directors (AD) would be added to the political appointments. Each Director of Bureau will be assisted by
1836-616: The Government is, in law, exclusively in charge of Hong Kong's internal affairs and specified external relations . The Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC), from which the Hong Kong government is financially independent, is responsible for Hong Kong SAR's defence and foreign policy , while decisions made by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress can, in certain circumstances, override territorial judicial processes. The Hong Kong SAR government replaced
1890-509: The HKSAR Passports Ordinance. The individual must be at least 40 years old, a Hong Kong permanent resident who is a Chinese citizen with right of abode in Hong Kong , and has ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than 20 years. Article 47 further requires that the chief executive be a person of integrity, dedicated to his or her duties. In addition, candidates are ineligible to stand for selection by
1944-501: The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government ) is the executive authorities of Hong Kong . It was established on 1 July 1997, following the handover of Hong Kong . The Chief Executive and the principal officials are appointed by the State Council of the People's Republic of China in accordance with the outcome of local processes. The Government Secretariat
1998-680: The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and head of the Government of Hong Kong . The position was created to replace the office of Governor of Hong Kong , the representative of the Monarch of the United Kingdom during British colonial rule . The office, as stipulated by the Hong Kong Basic Law , formally came into being on 1 July 1997 with
2052-601: The Ombudsman and Public Service Commission report to the Chief Executive directly. The Human Resources Planning and Poverty Co-ordination Office, Administration Wing and Legal Aid Department are under the Chief Secretary for Administration's Office. The Office of the Government Economist and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority are under the Financial Secretary's Office. The Department of Justice
2106-406: The administration's own admission, the announcements were poorly handled, and there was widespread criticism of several key aspects, namely the nationality and experience of appointees, the transparency of the recruitment process and the level of officials' salaries. The Chief Secretary for Administration is responsible for assisting the Chief Executive in the supervision of policy bureaux and plays
2160-484: The chief executive is provided under Article 45 and Annex I of the Basic Law, and the Chief Executive Election Ordinance. Under the Basic Law the chief executive is the chief representative of the people of Hong Kong and is the head of the government of Hong Kong. The Chief Executive's powers and functions include leading the government, implementing the law, signing bills and budgets passed by
2214-686: The complex's East Wing has been blocked off from public access with a permanent fence. The complex consists of three blocks: While official use came into effect on 1 August 2011, administrative staff had moved in beginning 15 January 2011. 22°16′51″N 114°9′56″E / 22.28083°N 114.16556°E / 22.28083; 114.16556 Government of Hong Kong High Court District Court Magistrates' Court Special courts and tribunals: Chief Executive Elections Legislative elections District council elections Consular missions in Hong Kong Hong Kong–China relations Hong Kong–Taiwan relations The Government of
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2268-666: The expiry of the Chief Executive's term of office. In a system popularly called the Principal Officials Accountability System introduced by then Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa in July 2002, all principal officials, including the Chief Secretary, Financial Secretary, Secretary for Justice, heads of government bureaux and the Director of the Chief Executive's Office would no longer be politically neutral career civil servants, but would all be political appointees chosen by
2322-492: The former British Hong Kong Government (1842–1997) in 1997. Despite gradually evolving, the general governmental structure was inherited from British Hong Kong . On February 28, 2024, the Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, Paul Chan , announced the Special Administrative Region’s (SAR) government budget for the fiscal year 2024 to 2025 (“2024–25 Budget”). Under the 2024-25 budget, total government expenditure
2376-611: The government secretariat and government departments in Chief Executive John Lee 's administration since 1 July 2022 is as follows: The Office of the Chief Executive is responsible for ensuring the Chief Executive receives the best advice and support for formulating and co-ordinating policies. It is headed by the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, who would sit in meetings of the Executive Council. The Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office , Independent Commission Against Corruption , Audit Commission , Office of
2430-428: The highest and the same no. of votes; or 2. no candidates win an absolute majority Then: The chief executive-designate must publicly disaffiliate with a political party within seven days of the election and must not become a member of a party during their term of office. The chief executive-designate is then appointed by the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China before taking office. In
2484-404: The introduction of bills to the Legislative Council and the drafting of subordinate legislation. The Council consists of 21 principal officials and 16 non-official members. All members are appointed by the Chief Executive from among the senior officials of the executive authorities, members of the Legislative Council , and other influential public personnels. They serve for a period no longer than
2538-681: The office as undemocratic , and have criticised the entire election process as a "small-circle election." Former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa has even stated that the election's result is a non-binding one, saying that the Chinese government would refuse to appoint the winning candidate if that person was unacceptable to them. Many events , including the Five Constituencies Referendum in 2010, Umbrella Revolution in 2014 and Anti-Extradition Movement during 2019–20, have attempted to push for greater democracy and universal suffrage . In January 2015, when Leung Chun-Ying reversed
2592-735: The office of the chief executive moved to the low block of the new Central Government Complex in Tamar . Government House continues to serve as the official residence of the Chief Executive. Upon retirement, former Chief Executives have access to office space at the Office of Former Chief Executives, 28 Kennedy Road . The office provides administrative support to former Chief Executives to perform promotional, protocol-related, or any other activities in relation to their former official role. The activities include receiving visiting dignitaries and delegations, giving local and overseas media interviews, and taking part in speaking engagements. A chauffeur-driven car
2646-596: The office of the chief executive was located at the fifth floor of the Former Central Government Offices (Main Wing). In the past the governor had his office at Government House . Tung did not use Government House as the primary residence because he lived at his own residence at Grenville House . Donald Tsang decided to return to the renovated Government House during his first term , and moved in on 12 January 2006, for both his office and residence. In 2011,
2700-416: The power to propose a motion of impeachment of the chief executive for decision by the Central People's Government of China , with the following steps as stipulated in article 73(9) of the Basic Law : The acting and succession line is spelled out in article 53. If the chief executive is not able to discharge his or her duties for short periods (such as during overseas visits), the duties would be assumed by
2754-520: The two new appointees and constitute the political team, who would ostensibly work closely with bureau secretaries and top civil servants in implementing the Chief Executive 's policy agenda in an executive-led government. As with the principal officials, these two new posts may be drawn from within or outside the civil service, and appointees may or may not have a political background. Eight new Under-secretaries were named on 20 May, and nine Political Assistant appointments were announced on 22 May 2008. By
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#17328411160052808-453: The world for a political leader , and only second to that of the prime minister of Singapore . The pay level took a cue from the handsome amounts paid to the city's colonial governors – worth $ 273,000 per annum plus perks in 1992. In 2005, Tung Chee Hwa received some HK$ 3 million ($ 378,500) in pay as Chief Executive. From 2009 until the end of 2014, the salary for the job stood at HK$ 4.22 million. In January 2015, Leung Chun-Ying reversed
2862-460: Was approved by the Executive Council on 30 April 2002 under the Tung Chee-hwa administration. The new complex was to be the headquarters of the government, the Legislative Council and other community facilities, including a gallery, leisure facilities, open spaces and a waterfront promenade. At the time, the construction was estimated to cost HK$ 6.4 billion. The building was delivered through
2916-472: Was originally designed by Yim under the concept of "Door Always Open", symbolising the pride that Hong Kong holds in its "openness and transparency of governance". In keeping with this theme, the complex was meant to be accessible to the public and integrated with the surrounding urban context, and incorporates a range of public spaces. Tamar Park passes through the complex, leading to the waterfront promenade on Victoria Harbour . The Civic Square in front of
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